Australia grain stocks reach 22.1 million tonnes

Grain stocks held in storage facilities operated by Australia's major bulk grain handling companies and traders totalled 22.1 million tonnes on December 31, up 42 percent on year, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported Wednesday.

Of total grain in storage at December 31, about 14.5 million tonnes was wheat, up nearly 5.5 million tonnes or 60 percent on-year, the bureau reported.

Of the wheat, milling grades accounted for 12.3 million tonnes or 85 percent of the total with feed grades and wheat for other purposes accounting for 2.2 million tonnes or 15 percent of the total, it reported.

Barley stocks totalled 4.4 million tonnes at December 31, of which 1.8 million tonnes or 41 percent was malting grade and 2.6 million tonnes or 59 percent was for feed or other purposes, the bureau reported.

Combined stocks of oats, triticale, sorghum, other feed grains and pulses at 1.7 million tonnes at December 31 are over double the December 2007 level, while oilseeds at 1.5 million tonnes are 51 percent higher, it said.

Stocks of winter grains and oilseeds typically rise during and after the annual harvest from October through January and then decline steadily through the year, reflecting exports and domestic use.

The collection isn't a measure of the total grain stocks held in Australia, as figures from regional or small storage operators or on-farm stocks aren't captured in it.